Merry Christmas, Darling
by Mattiewilda
Summary: Amy and Alan, Christmas through the years.
1. Chapter 1

Did I NEED to add another story to my plate? Of course not. But clearly I am a glutton for punishment. I woke up on my day off with this idea burning a hole in my brain. It's only going to be a few chapters and I wanted to get at least the first chapter posted before Christmas since it is (obviously) a Christmas story. This is going to be focused on Amy and Alan. Other characters will get a mention, but not much more than that.

* * *

"_I don't get it. It's just the two of us here now. How do we end up putting up even more decorations than we did when the kids were little?"_

_Amy smiled and hung the last stocking over the mantle. Their newest grandchild was born just a couple of weeks ago and, as she had with each new addition, the proud grandmother wasted no time in creating a stocking for him. "Gee, I don't know. Could it be because I'm married to a gigantic child who raids the stores each December 26__th__ to pick up every set of lights on clearance he can get his hands on?"_

"_You've got to be prepared. What happens if a strand of lights goes out and needs to be replaced? I'm not paying full price like all the other suckers out there."_

_She shook her head. Alan recited this speech every year without fail. "Watch it, Ebenezer, you're getting stingy in your old age."_

"_Funny."_

"_Thanks ."_

"_I'm guessing we're not going to bed just yet," he asked, knowing already what her answer would be. It was the same every year._

_She adjusted a few pieces of tinsel and took a step back. When she felt her husband's strong arms wrap around her she leaned back and settled against his chest. "Let's sit and enjoy the lights for a little bit."_

"_Okay." He placed a kiss on her temple. "I'll start the fire and get a blanket. You make the hot chocolate."_

"_The Christmas blanket, you know, the one with the snowmen?"_

"_What am I, new at this?"_

"_The record player is in the closet. And the album-"_

"_Amy, I know. But are you sure you want to listen to that? The quality is better on-"_

"_No, it has to be the record player and it has to be that album. You know that."_

And he did. "_All right, if you insist."_

"_I do."_

_He kissed her once more before playfully pushing her towards the kitchen. "Don't forget to add extra marshmallows in my hot chocolate."_

_"What am I," she asked, mimicking him, "new at this?"_

Hot chocolate with marshmallows, a snowman covered throw, the soft glow of Christmas lights, warmth from the fire, and The Carpenters' Christmas album filling the air…not much said Christmas more to Amy than that. It was a time to reflect, a time to be grateful. Every year had its ups and downs, but she was lucky in that, most years, the good far outweighed the bad. Sometimes she wished she could go back in time and tell her younger self that, but she supposed there were some things you only learned with age and wisdom.

To say their first Christmas as husband and wife was a challenge would be an understatement. They were nineteen, had no money, lived in an apartment roughly the size of a refrigerator box, and the Navy expected Alan to report for duty bright and early the next morning. To Amy it felt like the end of the world. They'd barely been married a month and he was leaving her.

"_You can't reschedule?"_

"_It's the Navy, not jury duty."_

"_But it's Christmas! You weren't supposed to report for another month. You promised we'd-"_

_Alan took her hands and led her over to the couch. "I don't want to go. I have to." He wrapped his arms around her when she began to cry. "Amy, please."_

"_We didn't even get to pick out a Christmas tree yet."_

"_I know."_

"_This was supposed to be special. It's our first Christmas as a married couple." They'd planned to spend the holiday just the two of them. Tensions that she thought would ease after their wedding hadn't dissipated. Amy didn't want to go home and have to listen to her mother lament on how she'd ruined her life and Alan wasn't good enough._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_How long will you be gone?"_

"_I'm not sure. Probably a few months."_

"_Months?"_

_He hated to see her cry. "We'll have Christmas when I get home."_

"_It's not fair."_

"_No, it's not. In fact it sucks. I'll make it up to you."_

"_I don't want you to make it up to me. I want you to be here."_

"_Amy, I can't. You know that. Believe me, I'd much rather be here with you."_

"_I know." She wiped her eyes and stared straight ahead. "I'm sorry for being such a baby. I know you can't control what's going on. I'm just going to miss you. I already miss you."_

"_It's just one Christmas. We'll have forever to get the rest of them right."_

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise." He pulled her close for a tender kiss. "Let's go to bed, okay?"_

_Neither one of them slept that night. They stared at the clock, holding each other and willed morning not to come. And when it was time Amy saw Alan off, crying harder than she perhaps ever had in her life. Then she went to work and tried to go about her day as if her heart wasn't broken. She stopped by the store for groceries and headed home, trying to mentally prepare herself for months of solitude._

_When she reached their apartment there was a box outside the door with her name on it. There was no postage, no return address, nothing else to go by. She wasted no time dragging it inside and ripping it open. What she found made her cry, although this time for a different reason._

_It was a Christmas tree. It wasn't a big tree. In fact, it made Charlie Brown's tree look like king of the forest. Along with it was a single strand of lights, a handful of ornaments, an album, and a note. She smiled, relieved to have Alan's writings. He apologized for the artificial tree when she wanted real, but this way it could stay up until he came home and they had a chance to celebrate properly._

_Later, once the tree was up and decorated, Amy sat on their hand-me-down loveseat with a mug of hot chocolate. The only light in the apartment came from the single strand on the tree and the only sounds from their record player. "Merry Christmas, darling," she sang along quietly, praying the next few months would pass in a blink._

It wasn't easy, but they survived and when Alan came home that spring they had their Christmas. A few weeks later, when the doctor confirmed Amy's suspicions and the pregnancy test results came back positive, all they could do was laugh. It was either that or panic. They were young, broke, and had absolutely no idea what to do with a baby. Yet they couldn't wait to meet their little "Christmas" miracle.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm going to do my best to get this little story all posted and complete within the 12 Days of Christmas, lol. Let me know if the formatting with the italics is too much. I can change it. Thanks for the feeback and comments. :-)

* * *

Their children definitely made Christmas more enjoyable. They brought a sense of fun and anticipation that wasn't there when it was just the two of them. Of course there were stresses that came along with all that fun and anticipation. Worries about money and wanting to ensure that each Christmas was the best ever weighed on their minds.

"_They're asleep," Amy declared, entering the garage where Alan was assembling Eric's new bike. "It only took two hours."_

"_What'd you do, finally crack and give them some Benadryl to knock them out," he teased. The boys were eight and a half and five respectively and full of non-stop energy. "Or tell them they weren't getting any toys this year?_

"_I told them if they didn't go to sleep Santa was only going to leave them socks and underwear. Not just this Christmas but every Christmas for the rest of their lives. That's worse than no presents at all."_

"_Cruel, but I like it."_

"_Thank you." She took a seat on a stool against the wall. "I was thinking, this is probably Eric's last year believing in Santa. I think he's suspicious already."_

"_Maybe. I was about his age when I figured it out. My mom needed help bringing in groceries and forgot she left some gifts in the trunk."_

"_I was seven and very nosy," she admitted. "I went snooping and found the receipts."_

"_Sneaky."_

"_Kids at school were talking. I'd wanted to prove them wrong." She watched him adjust the temperature on the portable heater. "You want some coffee to warm up?"_

"_No, thanks, I'm almost done." Alan stared at the partially built little mode of transportation. "You have no idea how many memories this brings back. Did I ever tell you about the year I got a bike?"_

"_No."_

"_I was Eric's age…well, I had just turned eight the week before Christmas and the bike was the big birthday/Christmas combo gift. Nevermind that Gail got a bike, too, and roller skates." He tried not to be bitter towards his sister. After all, it wasn't her fault he was a Christmas time baby and her birthday was in April. She also had no say in how their parents chose to dispense gifts._

"_I bet that must've been some sight- two bikes by the Christmas tree, ready to go."_

"_It would've been, but only Gail's was set up. Mine was still in the box."_

"_Why?"_

"_My dad wanted me to put it together myself."_

"_He didn't help you?"_

_He shook his head. "In his words, 'a boy that can build things and use his hands becomes a self-sufficient man.' I spent that Christmas stuck in the garage trying to put together my bike." He clenched the wrench tightly in his fist. "The whole time I could hear Gail and all our friends on the block having fun and playing with their toys." True, he did become self-sufficient. He's always been able to do his own car repairs and fix things around the house and it all started with that bike. "I hated my father that year."_

_Amy never got a chance to meet Alan's father. He'd died the year before they met. She was, however, always bothered by the way his mother acted towards him. There was a casual detachment that couldn't be explained. She supposed it was a consolation, though not much of one, that Bernice was the same with her daughter as well. At least Alan wasn't singled out. It was difficult enough to accept as an adult. She could only imagine how it was when they were children. She walked over to her husband and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry."_

_He shrugged off her sympathy. "If nothing else at least it did one thing for me."_

"_What's that?"_

"_I can be the dad who builds bikes for his sons. I can let them be kids and go crazy on Christmas morning. I'm not looking to turn them into little men before they lose all their baby teeth."_

"_You're a great dad. Eric and Cory idolize you. And that's with or without new bikes."_

"_Idolize, huh?"_

"_There are plans to erect a statue in your honor. I'm just waiting for NASA to get back to me with the schematics."_

"_Cute."_

"_Thank you."_

"_Why don't you go to bed? I'm almost done out here. I just have to attach Eric's handlebar and double check Cory's training wheels."_

"_Eric's going to tease him."_

"_I have a plan."_

"_Care to fill me in?"_

"_The second he makes fun of Cory I'll tell him that if he does it again, I have extra training wheels that will go on his bike."_

"_That just might work." She yawned. "Okay, I'm going in, but not going to sleep yet. Someone has to stand guard in case the little monsters try to sneak out of their room again."_

"_I don't know. I'm guessing you scared them pretty good with the sock and underwear threat."_

"_Let's hope so."_

"_Hey, wait a minute," he called out just before she left the garage._

"_Yes?"_

"_What did you get for Christmas when you were eight?"_

_She immediately flashed back to childhood: the big, beautiful tree that seemed to take up the entire living room and the piles and piles of presents that surrounded it. "Barbie's dream house, Barbie's corvette, and so many clothes and accessories I don't think I ever used even half of them." She had the toys in storage just in case she ever had a daughter someday._

"_Right, you grew up rich. Sometimes I forget."_

"_Alan, we weren't….I wasn't…my family was comfortable. Very comfortable."_

"_Ever regret giving up all that…comfort?"_

"_Never, not for a moment."_

Over the years their family continued to grow. They added Morgan and later Joshua to their mix and the friends of all their children seemed to flock to their home. Not that they minded, quite the opposite really. Sure, there were jokes about never having time to themselves, but they loved having all the kids around. Neither one of them, by choice, had much contact with their own families, so it was even more special for them that they had created such a warm environment where everyone felt welcome.

"_What do you think it is about us?"_

"_Hmm," Amy stirred from her spot on the couch. Another Christmas Eve had come and gone and they were enjoying a rare bit of peace and quiet before retiring to bed for the night. "What do you mean?"_

"_What draws them here? They could've spent tonight with their own families but they chose to be here."_

_She was quiet for several minutes pondering her answer. "What drew us together?"_

"_You looked great in that miniskirt," he said with a laugh and found himself being nudged in the ribs. "Ow. Hey, what happened to bonus points for honesty?"_

"_I'm going to ignore the shallow perversions coming from your mind right now."_

"_Hey, you said what first made you notice me was how I looked in my Navy uniform. I'm not the only shallow pervert."_

"_Alan, please. Be serious." She took his hand and laced their fingers together. "I think they see in us what we saw in each other: a safe place where we could be ourselves without judgement. I am sorry if they don't feel that same security with their own families- whatever the reasons may be- but I am happy to be the place they flock to when they need that extra bit of guidance or comfort. It reaffirms everything I believe about us and the life we've built together."_

"_You're right," he said, hugging Amy closer and kissing her cheek, "we're pretty awesome."_

_She laughed and relaxed into his embrace. "That's not quite what I was saying, but it's Christmas so I'll give it to you."_

* * *

*In my mind Amy's always come from a well off, if not rich, family. What else can explain Nana Boo Boo willing to hand out $75,000 (in the episode She's Having my Baby Back Ribs) when she believes she's going to have a great-grandchild?*


End file.
